Kindergarten (Barnehage) in Singapore

When moving one of the first things on the mind of a parent with a young child is Kindergarten/ Barnehagen. I can share my very short but defining experience of an infant care centre in Singapore. This was one of the better/ fancier infant care centers I found where in theory they recognized the importance of play and so on.

My son was about 9 months at the time, and we had to find alternative childcare arrangements than what had been working for us before. I was extremely torn about placing him in anyone else's care other than my own. We lasted 3 days. I pulled him out due to the emotional stress of separation and a few things I noticed at the centre that helped me make up my mind. We could have persevered and my son would have gotten used to it, but there were certain things that made me decide on a live in nanny who could cater more to his needs.

1. I saw a child reach out and gently touch another child. The staff moved the other child's hand away and positioned her away from the other kid. ( Are we teaching our children not to share touch and emotions? Would this environment train my son to be afraid to approach others?)

2. Almost no outside play time. (I've seen many kindergartens bring the children out to play for about 20 mins. My son sometimes plays with them, but he is usually at the playground for an hour and a half in the mornings. With only 20 mins, my son would get cabin fever. )

3. Extremely restricted play and movement indoors, for fear of children hurting themselves. (My son is a thrill-seeking dare devil. However, because of his adventurous spirit he has good mastery of his body for his age. I cringed at the level of unnecessary safety these centers practiced.

4. Children were often sitting in a circle staring at each other, playing by themselves in a very controlled environment. What made up my mind was the restriction the toddlers faced. A good amount of physical activity and exercise outdoors is obviously important in early development. Sadly this is just not available in Singapore.

 We are looking for Barnehage for our little one soon. I hope Norwegian culture is less risk averse than Singaporean culture. I hope he has a chance to run and play, and fall in all weather.